Welcome

Hello,

I’m Erin, and I have a hard time defining myself. I’ve considered careers in dozens of topics from dog training to forensic anthropology, and have the student loan debt to prove how serious I was about each one. Emilie Wapnick describes this predicament in her TED Talk, and coins a word for people like us: multipotentialites.
For the most part, UX and filmmaking fits me the best as a career choice because it involves researching many topics, which is my favorite thing to do. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed for 30 years, at least.

My most recent adventure started in May 2016. I wasn’t happy with my User Experience/Game Design job, where I wasn’t given enough challenging work nor research opportunities, so I quit! I was bored with being bored, my apartment lease was expiring, and I recently adopted a stray dog that I decided needed to see the world was a better place than he thought it was.

I decided I couldn’t stand it if I signed on a new lease and continued living “comfortably” with a boring job just to pay off (exorbitant) student debt. My first step was to submit my two weeks notice with enough time leftover to vacate my apartment – 2 days. Eek!
My second step was to join Workaway and find a farm where I could live with my dog and cat and volunteer until I found an exciting new job. 3 days later, I was accepted as a volunteer in Bradford, IL to work on a horse and exotic animal rescue farm. I will be riding horses (which I did a lot as a teenager), training dogs, caring for rescued animals, building fences, and gardening. I am very happy to have had an eclectic upbringing that makes none of these activities foreign to me.

My third step is to give away everything except what will fit in my car. This challenge has proved to be exceptionally difficult, and has forced me to focus on what I find most important. I’ve been a frugal person, always thinking the day would come when I will relinquish all material possessions, but I am also The Woman With A Thousand Hobbies. While I feel no attachment to the furniture (almost), my closet is full of unfinished projects and years worth of sewing, electronics, and art supplies. And yes, some finished projects as well.

So wish me the best on this life journey, and I hope this website takes you where you need to go regarding who I am.